noting that ROC was semi-autocratic in the 80s, but actively democratising, whereas PRC has gone full autocratic after Tiananmen massacre - were there voices within UK to consider returning HK to an arguably legitimate and better pair of hands?
The UK reaffirms its consistent position on the question of Taiwan as set out in the China/UK Joint Communiqué of 1972, in which the UK acknowledged the Chinese position that Taiwan is a province of the People's Republic of China and recognised the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China.
1972 was the key year in which Richard Nixon visited PRC to restore US/China diplomatic tie. The PRC took over UN representation from ROC shortly before that. Given that ROC was already expelled from the UN, it had no political stand to accept transfer of sovereignty.